A warped sense of humour could be an early sign of dementia, according to scientists who discovered that those with the disease laughed inappropriately at tragic events and preferred slapstick jokes.
Changes in what sufferers found funny started being detected about nine years before their illnesses were diagnosed, the researchers said.
Camilla Clark, who led the study at the Dementia Research Centre, University College London, said: “As sense of humour defines us and is used to build relationships with those around us, changes have impacts far beyond picking a favourite TV show.
“These findings have implications for diagnosis. Personality and behaviour changes should be prompts for further investigation, and clinicians need to be more aware of these symptoms as a potential early sign of dementia.”